The Waltons SECRETS From the Set

THE CAST REMEMBER THE MAKING OF A BELOVED AMERICAN TELEVISION CLASSIC

- Serena Kappes

It's been decades since he played the role that made him a household name, but Richard Thomas still hears "Good night, John-Boy" wherever he goes. "It will be 'John-Boy Dies' in the news when I'm gone," the actor, 71, tells Closer. "And that's fine with me."

For the stars who played the close-knit Walton family on the Depression-era drama set in rural Virginia, the bonds they created on the show which aired from 1972 to 1981 and spawned six TV movie sequels - have lasted almost 50 years. "I still think of them as my family," says Michael Learned, 83, the Emmy-winning actress who played devoted matriarch Olivia. "Whenever we are together, there's a lot of joy, laughter, and warmth."